Burkina Faso

The Ambassador of France in Burkina Faso Emmanuel Beth visited WFP nutrition and school feeding activities in the Sahel region alongside WFP Country Director Angelline Rudakubana and others from the WFP Burkina Faso team.

Pandemics and large-scale disasters pose specific challenges to humanitarian emergency operations, especially in urban areas. Through a recent one-week pandemic simulation, WFP aimed to prepare countries in West Africa to face these challenges so that they can better assist vulnerable populations.

From morning to night, Elise spends her days taking care of her family and working in nearby rice fields. As a beneficiary of the Lowlands Management Project, she is now better able to provide for her six children.

In the community of Gorgadji, many more students make the long trek to school every morning now that they receive two hot meals a day. WFP's school meals programme encourages enrolment, especially for girls, and allows students to concentrate better in class.

Ouagadougou Fofana, a father of thirteen, is now able to provide for his family thanks to WFP Purchase for Progress (P4P) initiative, which guarantees an outlet for farmers’ produce in Burkina Faso. With increased production and income, Mr. Fofana’s means of survival has developed into a business that allows him to feed, clothe, and educate his family.

Assétau Bagagnan, a mother of four, says she knew nothing at all about the importance of getting the right vitamins and nutrients before bringing her malnourished baby son to a feeding centre in rural Burkina Faso. Armed with this new knowledge, she says she’s now better equipped to care for her family.

WFP has started distributing vital food rations to the victims of widespread flooding across West Africa, launching emergency operations in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania for thousands of people in the worst affected areas.